The Immortalization Commitment
by CatGal15
Summary: Complete. Please R&R. Leonard feels obligated to inform Amy that Sheldon is beginning to save money to store himself in cryogenics until the year 3000.
1. Chapter 1

Amy approached the guys' table and plopped into Sheldon's empty seat with a sigh.

"Something wrong, Amy?" Leonard quipped.

"You know how Sheldon and I are collaborating on my neuroscience project?" Amy asked.

"Yeah..." Howard said.

"Well, he wondered if we're more successful when we fight, and consequentially we've been at each others' throats all week."

"That sounds tough," Leonard sympathized.

"Since we began fighting for the sake of science, every night I find a chocolate on my pillow," Amy complained.

"How rude," Howard said insincerely.

Amy looked at him. "He's doing it because he knows I'm dieting. And, since we're making progress through our arguing, he doesn't take me seriously anymore when I get mad!"

"Alright, so you feel overlooked and ignored," Leonard guessed, and she nodded. "Well, don't read too much into it; that's how all of his relationships go."

Raj shook his head. "What's your retaliation strategy?"

"I drank the last of the Strawberry Quik, hid one of the receipts under the couch, and bleached all of his shirts."

Leonard's brows went up.

"Well, that explains why he's not at work," Howard said.

"You should've bleached them years ago," Raj cut in.

Leonard's Skype ringtone went off. "Well, speak of the devil," Leonard said, and answered the call. "Hey, buddy, what's up?"

"What's up?" Sheldon repeated. "I had to call in sick because Amy bleached all my shirts!"

"Really?" Leonard asked.

"Yes! I had to use the clothes in my emergency kit. And, I'll have to buy more clothes!"

"Wow, that's awful."

"I know! Thirty-six shirts, all gone; it'll cost me hundreds to replace them. I guess I have no choice but to communicate with Penny, and see if there's a sale someplace. This was the last straw, Leonard; I am - I just - I don't - I am so mad right now."

"What're you gonna do?"

Sheldon looked at him like he was stupid. "Talk to Penny, and see if there's a sale!"

"Right, of course."

"Worst part of it all is, this is really going to take a bite from my savings for Alcor Cryonics."

Amy put her hand on Leonard's and forced him to turn the phone so Sheldon could see her.

"Whoopsie," Sheldon said.

"Alcor Cryonics? You're going to freeze yourself?"

"No...I'm going to pay Alcor to do it for me."

"Until when?" Amy demanded.

"Until the year 3000. And thanks to you, I have to dip into my savings!"

Amy's grip tightened on Leonard's wrist. "Sheldon," she fumed, "We have been through a lot together and I have no idea how I've put up with you all these years, but I did, because that's what you do when you're in love. And if that's the best goodbye you can give me, before going to sleep for nine hundred eighty-three years; then good riddance. I hope your new life is hell." She let go of Leonard, stood and hurried from the cafeteria blinking tears from her eyes.

Sheldon hung up without another word.

"Wow," Leonard said flatly. "That freezer's gonna feel great after that explosion."

Raj pulled Amy's untouched food tray closer and began dishing the contents onto his own plate. 


	2. Chapter 2

Amy stormed up the last flight of stairs. Her shaking hands fumbled with the lock and finally she pushed the door open. Stepping into 4B she slammed the door, her eyes burning holes through Sheldon's.

"Okay, I know you're mad..."

"Don't speak to me." Amy stuffed her keys into her pocket. "I don't want to hear anything your dumb voice has to say."

She went to the bedroom, leaving him uncharacteristically speechless. Slamming the door she locked it in one swift yank. She stood in the room and finally forced her feet to move. She flung open her closet and grabbed her suitcase, then went to her dresser. She was folding the first pair of pants when Sheldon knocked.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you that I can only be frozen once I die?"

Amy whirled, unlocking the door and ripping it open. "What's your plan, Sheldon? Are you going to kill yourself the minute you have enough money?"

"Don't be mad, Amy. Please. I'm only doing it so I can see the technological advancements."

Amy hadn't heard him deny it. "You know," she said, in a deceptively calm voice, "It really hurts to find out that technology means more to you than me. I thought this relationship was about us."

She pushed the door shut.

As she was folding the second shirt, he called through the door, "Why don't you join me at Alcor?"

Her motions became jerky with fresh anger. Join him? He wanted her to be dead for almost a millennium? What about her life - her work - her family?

Sheldon remained by the door.

She wasn't answering. Why wasn't she answering? Didn't she still love him?

"I'm still here," he said to the door. "I really want you in cryo with me."

Still no answer.

"Come on. Amy - "

She opened the door again. "You know, for a man who boasts about his intellectual superiority, you seem to be having trouble understanding that when the N and O come together, they form a word."

"I really don't understand why you're behaving in this manner."

"Well, maybe you're not as smart as you think. Let me clear it up for you, Sheldon; you wanted to go live on Mars, you want to be frozen until the year 3000 - if you're that anxious to escape my company, then go; I release you."

"That is not what this is about! I am shocked that you don't have more confidence in me! Shocked and deeply hurt! This is about the - where are you going?" He had finally noticed the suitcase, and his anger was seemingly gone.

"I'm going back to my place. You're also released from my project."

Sheldon watched her, and couldn't help but smile. "I'm flattered you care about me so much."

"Clearly it was an unreciprocated feeling all this time." She pushed the pants drawer closed and opened her shirt drawer.

"You agreed to move to Mars with me. How is this any different?"

Amy turned to face him, her arms filled with shirts. "Because you don't need to die and have your body frozen for almost a thousand years to go to Mars!"

"No, but living on Mars doesn't preserve your body. We'd still be dead within the century."

"You're going to be anyway! You have to be, right?"

"Don't worry; I'll get another chance at life!"

"Right. And you won't even be able to see me." Knowing Wolowitz and Penny just annoyed him, she added, "Or your Meemaw."

Sheldon nodded sadly. "That is a shame, a darn shame. But," he continued, "That's why I have a different savings account! So I can clone her!"

"C-clone her?"

"Yes! She'll have all my Meemaw's memories, she'll still call me Moonpie - it'll be like nothing's changed." He studied her. "In fact, you're shedding so much hair it might be enough for a DNA sample."

She glared at him. "Get out."

"I thought you were the one leaving!"

She pushed on his chest, forcing him into the hall.

"Wait, can I take your hairbrush?"

"If the real me isn't enough for you to stay, then you're on your own." She slammed the door.

The nerve of him! Overcome with rage, she continued to pack.

Feeling as if his compromise meant nothing, Sheldon turned and walked dutifully to the apartment. Instead of knocking he just pushed the door open, walking in on a romantic interlude between Penny and Leonard. They sat in the kitchen, while soft music played. The apartment was lit with nothing but candles. Sheldon stopped in his tracks, wondering if he should have knocked.

Penny looked over Leonard's shoulder and sighed. "Hey, Sheldon."

"Hello. Can I enter?"

"You have entered," Leonard reminded him.

Sheldon considered. "Well, it doesn't sound like you mind." He pushed the door shut. "I need to vent."

Penny sighed loudly. "Don't you do enough of that?"

Sheldon sat quietly in his Spot and began to brood in silence.

Leonard shook his head and got up. "Alright, buddy, what's going on?"

"Amy disapproves of my plan to be preserved in cryogenics. Not only that, but when I asked to clone her she rejected me! I mean, I didn't exactly get on my knees...but I was trying to meet her halfway on this. She doesn't want to go, I want her to be there...It's like she isn't flattered that I want her by my side so badly that I'm willing to spend a fortune to replace her."

Penny joined Leonard. "Sheldon, a girl doesn't like the idea that she can be replaced."

"But it was a compromise! I want her to be happy, but I don't want to give up my dream."

"What is your dream?" Leonard asked. "To wander around with no friends?"

"Well, when I made this decision my intent was solely to see the advancements of technology, but relearning what solitude feels like sounds like a perk."

"Sheldon..." Penny sat on the middle cushion. "Amy wants you to stay because she loves you more than anything."

"If that were true, she'd love me more than this decade and she'd come with me."

"Have you ever considered that maybe you're here in this timeline because it needs you?" Penny asked. "And what about your old dream? How will you advance science if you're in cryo?"

"Penny, I appreciate your concern, but you don't need to worry. I'm going to start making advancements the minute I wake up, not a second older than when that door would shut in my face."

"Alright, but how do you think the male counterpart of Shamy is going to fare without the female half?" Leonard inquired. "Are you going to marry a distant relative of hers?"

"No! Good Lord, why must you make everything sound crazy?"

"Because it is crazy, Sheldon; it's completely crazy!"

"Yeah, how did you even propose the whole cloning thing? Did you like, ask to take some blood and skin?" Penny scoffed.

"No...I asked if I could maybe harvest her hairbrush."

Penny leaned away from him, totally freaked out. "Okay, stay out of my cabinet."

"Don't worry, you're safe."

Penny rolled her eyes. "Alright, weird man. Go live in the year 3000. Insult and annoy that generation. But just tell me this, how are you going to ask your Meemaw if you can clone her?"

"Oh - actually, I already did. She's totally on board."

"Really?" Leonard asked.

"Yes. She thinks it would just be the coolest thing if a piece of her existed in the distant future."

"What about your mom?" Penny asked.

"Please. Like I'd really want to be the reason there's just another religious nut-job in such an era."

Leonard nodded, trying to understand his side. "And you're really okay with abandoning Amy?"

"No, that's why I asked to clone her. You know, Leonard, I did what I could. I asked her and asked her again to join me. I wanted her to be happy and I made a compromise. She shot me down and she doesn't even care about my happiness enough to give me a memory."

"Are you breaking up?" Penny asked.

Sheldon looked at her. "We already did."

Penny nodded, trying to process it all.

The door blew open and Amy stood there, suitcase in hand. "Alright, Sheldon," she seethed. "This is your last chance. It's either a lonely, empty world - or me."

Sheldon stood and slowly walked toward her. Then, completely taking her off-guard, he grabbed her and kissed her fiercely, holding her tight. When he finally took his lips from hers, he still squeezed her in his arms, keeping her face close to his own. "Come with me," he murmured.

She pushed him away like she had discovered he was poisonous, turned and walked down the stairwell. Looking lost, Sheldon turned back to Leonard and Penny. "How come you can manipulate Leonard, but I don't have that power over Amy?" he demanded. "I'm much smarter than you; that ability should be mine."

"I'm sorry, buddy," Leonard said.

Sheldon looked at his closed apartment door, then began walking across the hall.

"What're you gonna do?" Penny asked, hovering in the doorway of 4A.

"I'm sending the ring back." He let himself into 4B, closed the door and was gone. 


	3. Chapter 3

Amy entered her apartment suite and stopped, looking at the immaculate condition of her house. Everything sparkled with a fresh cleanliness and her plants continued to thrive. She smiled and closed the door. Raj had certainly done a nice job tending to her place.

Raj appeared in the hall, taking off a pair of blue gloves. "Hey, I thought I heard you!" He eyed the suitcase. "Uh, is everything okay?"

"Nope. What smells so good?"

"That would be the triple layer cake. Want some?"

"Sure."

He plucked at the fingers of the gloves, watching her put down her suitcase and then begin to serve herself. "Uh. Do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"No." She began cutting the cake, and suddenly her voice exploded out of her mouth. "Sheldon had the audacity to ask if he could clone me for his stupid cryonics thing. He wanted my hair! And then he tried to lure me into going with him. And all this happened after he yelled at me for bleaching his shirts, like what I did is a bigger deal than saying 'Screw my relationship and my future with the girl who loves me' and saving up to be dead for three millennia, and telling everybody about his escape plan but me! The girl who loves him, the girl who trusted him, the girl who thought he could tell her anything!"

Raj wiped some icing off the wall. "Eat and rest. Your house is in perfect working order."

"Thank you. I hope you'll still be my friend now that I've dumped Sheldon."

"Of course!"

"Good. I like you. I like all of - well, most of you. Sheldon's crossed a line."

"I can't believe it's over. Again."

"I'm sorry. I'll try to keep it between me and him."

"Don't worry about it. I'm on your side."

"I wish that mattered to him. I pleaded with him, I yelled at him, and he just...he doesn't care! When he told me he loved me, I actually believed him. I thought it meant...I thought it meant something."

They sat on her couch.

"Well, if it didn't mean anything, he wouldn't have asked to clone you, right? He probably wants you there so much, he'd settle for the faintest shadow of you."

"But we're both here, now, and he chose Alcor. I guess I'm just not important enough. And I should have seen it coming, I should have learned from my past. He and many others have decided that Amy Farrah-Fowler is nothing special."

"You're special to me!"

"Am I?" she demanded.

"Yes!"

"Would you give up all your dreams just to be with me?"

"I would if we were in a relationship."

She studied him and shook her head. "No, I don't buy it. You'd give them up for Bernadette, or Penny. I remember that night at the bar."

"Things change. I bet - "

"Forget it, Rajesh. It's okay, I'm used to it. It's normal, it's familiar. If someone told me they would die for me, I'd prefer to be single. What hurts, though, with Sheldon? He was my first."

The pair were quiet - she ate while he struggled with what to say. Finally it came to him.

"You're one of the best people on this planet. And if Sheldon goes into cryonics, he's an idiot and it's his loss. Maybe he doesn't know how valuable you are, but I do."

"And yet you don't desire me."

"Well - do you desire me?"

She thought about it only briefly. "No."

"Then what does it matter?"

"It matters! Like everyone else, you're all talk."

"I appreciate your value as a friend. And I know you'll find someone who thinks highly of you."

Amy scoffed. "I thought I already had." She looked at her plate. "You know, this cake is like Sheldon. I'm just...not that into it right now. Think I'll turn in."

"I guess that's my cue." Raj stood and headed for the door. "So, uh, are you staying here now?"

"Yeah, things are back to normal."

"So I assume you won't need me to come back next week?"

"No. Thanks for everything."

"My pleasure. Call me anytime you need a friend."

"Thank you, Rajesh. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

In his absence Amy shuffled across the room to lock the door. That night she lay awake in bed, blinking back tears and feeling like half of her was being severed away.

-0-0-0-0-

Cryonics.

That was the first word that blew through Amy's mind when she awoke. She stared at the ceiling.

Cryonics! He was choosing an eternity locked inside a freezer over his girlfriend. She could live seventy years without him and she would still have trouble believing his insensitivity, and his rudeness. And she would still be unable to support his decision.

She got up in a huff and prepared for work. Her anger toward Sheldon had dropped her into a pit of frustration and depression, and she moved recklessly, slamming her plate and cup whenever she had to put either down, slamming her bedroom or bathroom door. Eventually there was a knock and she found herself staring into the annoyed face of a stranger.

"Can you maybe tone it down a little? I worked overtime and I really need sleep."

Amy grabbed her purse. "I'm going to work; you have seven hours." She stepped into the hall and forcefully pulled the door shut. They parted ways and she moved down the hall. "Do all guys think only about themselves?" she muttered.

"I heard that!"

She considered threatening him, but she preferred to take the high road. Instead, she grabbed onto the inspiration of studying which part of the brain was responsible for egotism. Not that she would call her neighbor an egotist; he was just tired. It wasn't like she had never required more sleep than she had gotten. But Sheldon was an egotist - that much was undeniable. If her work was groundbreaking, she could even tell the whole university that she once had close ties with a man who would still be alive in 3017.

And it could go both ways. Maybe he would tell the future world of his girlfriend, who had died over nine hundred years prior.

As she drove to Cal-Tech, she realized she was fifty percent at fault for the wedge that had come between them. Okay, maybe forty-nine. But Sheldon wouldn't miss her at all if she forced him away. If she wanted him to miss her - and she did - then she would have to make him realize what he would be missing out on.

Flattery. That was her tool. Nothing satisfied an egotist like flattery...and, in this particular case, perhaps a little reverse psychology. Armed with a neuroscientist's weapon, she parked and walked jauntily into the building. Moving right past her own office, she followed the familiar pathway to his.

She stood in the doorway, watching him draw a big, towering building on his whiteboard. He wore a long button-up coat that fell to his calves, which were bare. And smooth, she noticed with a smile. He wore nothing but socks on his feet.

"Hello, Amy." He hadn't even looked at her.

"Hi, Sheldon."

At the sound of her resignated, sad voice he turned. "Is something wrong?" he asked slyly.

"No, it's just...I've been thinking, and I decided you're right." He began to smile, but sobered when she continued, "You're not needed here. If the Earth hasn't been destroyed by the year 3000, your intellect is going to be needed in order to produce weaponry. I...fail to see who needs you, here, now, in this era. It might take more than nine millennia, but I'm sure you'll find your place."

"Y-you don't need to say it quite like that."

"Why not? Howard doesn't need you. I'm sure that, in your absence, he'll step up and advance science for you. I mean, you won't be here to outdo him; with the bar lowered, with the competition dispersed, he might even create something people will still be using by the time you wake up."

"No!"

"It's possible. He might become a Cal-Tech hero. You'll be helpless, trapped inside a capsule, all frozen and gross; I mean, who knows? Geologists and engineers may very well collaborate and do something amazing just to spite you when you wake up. Personally I would be too terrified of having all of my accomplishments just...replaced, with something better. Everything I ever worked for, every late night just a waste of time. My point is, Sheldon, I've realized that what you're doing takes courage. Amazing courage, and I should support your predilection to take that risk."

He stared at her.

"In fact, when you're done here, stop by my place and take my hairbrush." She handed him her key, then stepped closer, cupping his face with her hands. "You are so brave. And don't you worry about being forgotten; I'll use your act of courage to inspire this university." She kissed him and left, crossing her fingers. 


	4. Chapter 4

Amy put on her gloves and turned to the strange, brownish-gray lump sitting within a bowl on a cart she had wheeled into her office. She felt her heart begin to beat rapidly. "Uh...Hi, Mr. Kotter. Uh, I'm Amy Farrah-Fowler. Th-thank you for donating yourself to science." She stepped slowly closer to the cart. "Um, I'm just going to pick you up and put you over there." She pursed her lips. "This...this might tickle, but don't be afraid; this is my job."

She picked it up and slowly, carefully moved toward the desk. Her movements were slow and careful - until a loud knock startled her and she dropped the brain. "Uh, sorry. Uh, c-come back here." She knelt. "Come in!" she called, and retrieved the brain.

"Dr. Fowler, are you insane?"

She stood quickly at the sound of a very annoyed President Siebert. "Uh...would I be fired if I was?"

"Mr. Wolowitz has just informed me that you begged Sheldon not to go into cryonics. Do you not understand that half of the world's population wants him to get into that freezer?"

"No, I understand. He's an infuriating egotist, but I don't care if half the world is chasing me." She lightly deposited the brain on her table.

He sighed. "I don't approve. I want him out of my hair."

"You're not going to fire him, are you?"

"His contract is the only reason he's still here. It ends in March. If by then he's changed his mind, I'll have to take action. I'm at my wits' end; he's insulted me twice this morning, he's gotten on Mrs. Davis' nerves, and his continuing rivalry with Dr. Kripke is a continuous distraction to the other scientists."

She nodded, trying to keep collected. "I understand."

"Good." He shook his head. "Let's hope he does." He left, and Amy poked her head out and watched him disappear. Taking off her gloves she stepped into the hall, pulled her door shut and hurried toward Sheldon's office to warn him. But, his door was locked; and it stayed that way when she knocked. She wandered back to her office and sat in her chair while she dialed his number. She greeted him with "Sheldon, where are you?"

"I'm going back to your place!"

"Okay, never mind. Listen, you need to present yourself differently at Cal-Tech, or else President Siebert is going to fire you."

"What?"

"You have until March to straighten out. I'd suggest you suck up to him, a lot."

"Why? He doesn't appreciate anyone!"

"Sheldon, this isn't about the relationship between you and him. You work there for the science. If you want him to remember you without hating you, then you need to change your behavior." She struggled for a second, and then added, "If you want an honor of any kind - a statue, a plaque, an effigy - then you need to listen to me. You won't even receive a standing ovation if you give him no end of trouble."

"What does this 'sucking up' entail?"

"Try bringing him his lunch, or giving him a compliment. Asking if you can do anything for him."

"Gotcha. I'll try. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They disconnected and she closed her door before turning back to the brain on her desk. "Rat brain? Sure. Mouse brain? Easy. Human brain - I want to try a different profession." She put on her gloves. "Maybe I could become a detective. At least when I would pick somebody's brain, it would only be rhetorical."

She picked up her delicate tools.

-0-0-0-0-

When Amy returned home seven hours later, she saw that her hairbrush was indeed missing, but there were two new items in her room: A chocolate and a bouquet on her bed. She picked up the flowers and read aloud the little note taped to the cellophane wrap.

"Amy,  
Thank you for supporting me.  
Sincerely,  
Dr. Cooper."

She sat on her bed, numb with grief. He was still going. And that was all he wrote? No I love you, no I'll miss you, not even another invitation? He hadn't even cared to signed his first name. Overwhelmed by a crushing sadness she flung the bouquet across the room.

What if he lived to be an old man? With gray hair, and baggy eyes, and a bent back? Would he still want to be preserved? To have a short life without ever seeing a single familiar face? To be surrounded by technology so advanced, he didn't even know how to use it?

Inspired by her passionate anger, she turned on her laptop and sat under the covers, writing an adaptation of Amelia and Cooper.

" 'Amelia and the Time-Travelling Boyfriend.' " 


	5. Chapter 5

Sheldon was folding his new laundry when Penny walked perkily into the laundry room carrying an empty basket. "Hey, Sheldon!"

"Hello," he muttered.

She turned back to face him. "Somethin' botherin' ya?"

"You mean other than your incredibly inaccurate vernacular?"

"Sure. Whatever that is."

Sheldon looked grumpily at her. "It's a synonym for wrong."

Penny rolled her eyes. "Anyway?"

"It's Amy. Today, at Cal-Tech, she showed up at my office and insisted I go through with Alcor. She implied she doesn't even need me."

"Well, that's not true."

Sheldon paused and then turned. "Wait. Do you suppose she was implementing the strategy of reverse psychology?"

"I'm implying she was telling you to go and wishing you wouldn't."

Sheldon turned back to his machine. "Good grief. And I left her a bouquet! If I had known..." He shook his head.

"Oh, cool! Look at that, my loonies came out," Penny exclaimed in delight.

Sheldon looked at her. "Did you hear a word I just said?"

"Nah, I tune you out sometimes."

"I have real problems on my plate! My girlfriend is trying to manipulate me, my boss intends on firing me, and you always boast compassion and kindness and all that nonsense and you won't even listen!" He carried his basket from the room.

Penny hurried to the door and looked out before wandering slowly around the laundry room, looking at each machine.

-0-0-0-0-

Sheldon pushed open the door of 4A and stopped, looking at Leonard.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Uh, habit. Sorry."

"No problem. Actually, come in; I need to talk to you."

Sheldon obliged, setting his basket on the coffee table and sitting in his Spot.

"Um...Amy really wants you to stay. She's following Penny and Bernadette everywhere, she won't stop talking about it - she even wrote a story about it."

"What?"

"Here, look." Leonard motioned to the computer and Sheldon sat in Leonard's chair, reading the story. "She wants you to stay. You're not even gone, and she misses - "

"Shh! I'm reading."

Leonard turned and moved toward the kitchen. "I don't know why," he grumbled.

Penny entered, looking rather guilty. "Oh. Hi, Sheldon. Um, Leonard, I-I need to change, I found a spider in my clothes, so just...don't come into our bedroom, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"And I need like, twenty minutes, you know, to get the right outfit, and accessorize..."

"Fine."

Penny awkwardly disappeared down the hall.

Leonard smiled widely and sat down. "She's hiding my birthday present in there. Wonderful lady. I hope it's - "

"Still reading," Sheldon droned.

Leonard glowered and sipped his drink.

" 'Narrow-minded, arrogant jerk'?!" Sheldon sat back, aghast. "Well, good Lord. Here I am putting chocolates and flowers on her pillow; and she has the nerve to..." His words gradually faded as he kept reading Amy's story. "Suicide?"

"What?"

"Amelia's feeling so underappreciated and hurt she thinks Cooper wouldn't miss her if she died!" Sheldon looked at her with shocked eyes. "She wasn't supporting me! She was questioning her value!" He got up and moved toward the door. Grabbing the keys, he promptly threw them at Leonard, who caught them before they hit his face. "Come on." He grabbed his own keys and bolted out the door.

-0-0-0-0-

In his panic, Sheldon disregarded the knocking courtesy and jammed his spare key into the lock. Wrenching the door open he staggered to a stop, looking at tall, British Dave, who held Amy's hands. She looked at him in open surprise.

"So that's how it is." Sheldon's voice was cold. "Replacing me before I'm even gone."

"What do you care? You chose Alcor over me. Well, I made a choice too."

Sheldon ignored the frost in her voice. "I don't want to lose you, not again."

"Yeah? You should've thought of that before choosing death over your girlfriend," Dave jumped in.

Afraid she wouldn't forgive him, his voice shot out of his mouth like a weapon. "I changed my mind, now get out. Amy, make him leave."

"He was here first; why should he leave?"

"Please, just...we need to talk."

Amy nodded begrudgingly. "Fine, Sheldon. You have the floor."

Sheldon looked at Dave, then back at her. "Can we talk in private?"

"You lost the right to be alone with me," Amy said, remaining right by Dave's side.

Sheldon looked at Dave, who glowered at him. "Fine. I choose you. I...I'll always choose you."

"It's a little late for that," Amy said dismissively, and Dave put his arm around her.

"You heard the woman. Back off."

Sheldon cast aside his fear for him and began swearing at him in Klingon. When he ran out of swear words he said simple things, like ship and star.

Dave stared at him like he was crazy. "What on earth are you saying?"

"I'm cursing you," Sheldon said flatly. "I don't like you touching my girlfriend."

Dave released her. "Alright, Amy, this isn't what I wanted out of tonight. Call me when this weirdo's gone."

"If you're still alive. It was a death curse."

Dave gave him a weird look and pulled the door shut.

Amy gazed at him. "Klingon?"

"I wanted him gone. I accomplished my goal." He shrugged. He felt suddenly shy, but he forced himself to meet her eyes. "I won't go, long as you take me back."

"So if I said no, you wouldn't be emotionally stable enough to live in your own timeline?" Amy demanded.

"No. I would have lost all reason."

"You had plenty of reason to stay and it wasn't stopping you. What changed?"

"Oh - a certain book online by a writer named Neuroversal. In it, the bone-headed man has the fantasy of exploring every century before and after his own, and his girlfriend wonders what she's worth to him. And while I read it, I realized it was about us. I feared for your life."

"Why, because I wrote a book? That's why you're here?"

"Yes! I don't want you dead. I want you...across from me at the breakfast table."

"On which planet? In which century?" Amy responded. "You keep finding ways to elude me."

"I asked you to come. I asked for your DNA. I was even willing to put a death curse on one of my fans; what else do you expect from me?"

"Not as much as I used to," Amy answered flatly.

Sheldon paused for a moment, then unfroze. "Fine. I can see we've reached an impasse."

"You should. It's your impasse."

Sheldon slammed the door behind him when he left. Amy stood in place for a moment, then sat and shakily dialed a number. "It's Amy. The plan failed."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear it," Dave answered.

"Me, too. I really thought the fight would last longer! He gave in so...easily."

"Do you have a plan B?"

"No. And you know what, it's fine. If he goes through with it, if he is honestly going to choose cameras and TVs and graphics over me, then...I won't waste my breath on grief."

"I'm sorry. Well, if you need anything, you know my number."

"Thanks, Dave. Goodnight." Amy disconnected. Sitting there for a moment she leaned forward and put her phone on the coffee table. "Dating site," she muttered. "Stupid." As soon as she said it she wanted to take it back. They had good times together. It just stung that he was willing to dismiss it all and replace it with buttons and wires.

She headed to her room to write another chapter about Amelia and her time-travelling boyfriend. 


	6. Chapter 6

"So, I've been wondering something about Wolverine," Raj said, as he, Leonard and Howard brought their trays to their table. "Is he a werewolf?"

"No, he's a mutant," Howard said.

"With stronger senses and a penchant for tree-climbing," Raj answered.

"That's ridiculous; he only climbed the tree to attack those men," Leonard jumped in.

"He attacks men all the time from the ground! Why would be bother climbing trees?"

"He's not a werewolf; he's just a guy with claws," Howard grumped. "If he were a werewolf we'd see him transform."

"Alright...What about Magneto?"

"What about him?" Leonard asked.

"Well, we know that a magnet will attract another if they have the same pole, and repel if they don't."

"Yeah, so?" Howard asked.

"So - does Magneto have a metal skeleton like Wolverine?" Raj inquired. "He had to get his power somehow."

"I doubt it; he can make entire vehicles flip over when they're nowhere near him," Leonard stated.

"Maybe his magnetic field is gigantic," Raj suggested.

The guys thought about it for a few seconds, until Sheldon joined them, looking particularly crabby.

"What's up?" Raj asked him.

Sheldon looked across the cafeteria and the guys followed his gaze, to see Amy sitting all by herself. When she saw them looking at her she got up and sat in a different chair facing away from them.

"She still grinding on the fact that you asked to replace her?" Howard quipped.

"It would appear so."

"Hey, Sheldon," Raj said, "Does Magneto have a metal skeleton?"

"Obviously."

"You're overlooking something important!" Howard said. "Objects don't stick to him."

"The polarity is in his fingers; he can attract and repel the objects at will," Sheldon said with a shrug.

"You can't know that; you're not Marvel," Leonard dismissed.

Sheldon looked at him. "How else can it be explained?" he said simply.

"He was born with it," Howard insisted.

"Prove it," Sheldon demanded. "I dare you to find a scene or comic book that intimately and explicitly sheds light on Magneto being born that way. You know what I think? I think Dr. Stryker did the same experiment on him as he did on Wolverine. Magneto may have a metal skeleton, too, but if you think about it, he's the only mutant who isn't immortal," Sheldon continued.

"What? That's crazy," Leonard said.

"No it's not! Beast, Mystique, Jean and Scott were all teenagers when Magneto and Professor X were young men; but when they're old and gray, they're only in their thirties or forties," Sheldon pointed out. "Mystique should be old and saggy, but she's still in the prime of her life!"

"Seriously?" Penny asked, scaring all four of them. "Amy's sitting all by herself, her world's falling apart and you're talking about comic books?"

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "For the millionth and final time, I gave her a multitude of options. She wasn't interested. I'll be preserved in cryonics as planned."

Penny shook her head. "You're a real jerk," she said.

"I read that part," Sheldon responded. "And for your information it takes two to break up. You of all people should know that!"

Penny ignored him, walking toward Amy's table.

"You're right," Howard finally said. "I never noticed it, but...it kind of ruins the whole series."

"Kind of? The characters meet in First Class, X-Men 1, and Apocalypse; and they're different ages in each movie. They have even introduced themselves to one another, but each time they meet for the first time we're supposed to be like, 'So that's how it happened'." Sheldon shook his head.

"Maybe each movie is an alternate dimension," Raj suggested.

"It doesn't matter. I can't even enjoy the movies anymore. I tried to do a marathon - couldn't do it."

Meanwhile, Penny sat beside Amy. "Hey."

"What're you doing here?" Amy asked.

"I heard what happened. Felt bad."

"So...you came here to see if I need a shoulder to cry on?"

"Nope. I'm here to invite you to an all-girl getaway in Vegas."

Amy smiled halfheartedly. "That's a nice gesture, but we go there all the time. We need to do something different."

"Please, please don't say basket-weaving."

Amy played with her potatoes. "Actually, I was kind of hoping for a vacation. Maybe Hawaii, or...London. Sheldon told me about your perfect night. If we went to Hawaii it could actually happen."

"That's definitely different."

"That's the idea."

"Alright, well, I'm on board. Sounds fun."

Amy tried to smile and began cutting her carrots. "Hey, Penny? Is Sheldon looking at me?"

Penny looked over her shoulder. "Uh...no. I just saw his lips form the word 'Cyclops'."

"Why am I not surprised?" Amy asked in disgust.

"Hey, ignore them. Let's talk about our Hawaii dresses. I want one nobody's seen me wear. Something fancy, and sharp."

"I want something modest."

"Come on, you're single now! And your mom and her sin closet are still in Glendale. Let's live it up a little!"

Amy considered. "You're right," she said unenthusiastically. "Remember when he tried to seduce me? I should've gone with that."

"Yeah, I never understood why you shot him down after all those years of wanting more."

Amy dipped her carrots into her potatoes and began stirring the mixture. "Believe it or not, he wanted to make a baby with me in my lab. If I'd known that he would revert to the same old Sheldon, I would have taken the opportunity. I mean, don't get me wrong, I wanted to. It took everything I had to walk away."

Penny gazed at her.

"Don't look at me with empathy; you don't know what that's like."

"Actually, I do," Penny replied. "Leonard wants a child, but even Bernadette says it's too risky because I 'drink too much'. Whatever."

"Are you still going to those AA meetings?"

"Sometimes."

"I think if you really wanted a baby, you could beat your dependency no problem."

Penny sat back. "I just don't know if Leonard and I want the same things."

"You don't want a baby?"

Penny shrugged. "I'm not sure! I mean, I think I'd be a good mom; I've gotten a lot of childcare practice with Sheldon."

Amy rolled her eyes.

"But the meetings are pretty repetitive, and I don't know if the pain of childbirth, and the worries kids cause and the messes they make would be worth it."

"Don't you think having a child would also be one of the best things that ever happened to you?" Amy inquired.

Penny shrugged. "I think it would be a mistake."

Amy nodded. "Well, in that case, maybe you should be the one wearing modest clothing." 


	7. Chapter 7

"It's open," Penny called, when there was a knock at 4A. Bernadette and Amy entered.

"Hi, Penny," Bernadette chirped.

"Hey. Didja hear about Amy's vacation?"

"Yeah. It sounds fun, but I don't think I can go!"

"Why?" Penny asked.

"Well, for starters, I have a baby."

"And your baby has Howard," Amy answered. "Next?"

"It's a long flight. I do fine in cars, but planes are a different story."

Penny looked at Amy. "Well, I...I don't think that's a problem. We can always drive."

"The trip would be an additional eight hours each way."

"That's okay!" Amy said. "This whole thing is so all three of us can go. We want you there."

Bernadette cocked her head. "Really? Because when I had to go back to work, I drove you crazy, and that wasn't even two miles from Halley."

"So we'll put a pineapple in your mouth," Penny suggested. "Please come?"

Bernadette relented. "Okay, fine."

"Great," Penny said. "Hawaii it is." Oblivious to the way Amy was looking at Bernadette, she continued, "It's been a long time since I went there, but I remember how beautiful it was. I stayed up in this amazing hotel; actually I think I still have the picture..." She drifted down the hall.

In her absence Amy finally spoke. "It-it doesn't sound like you even want to go."

"Of course I do, but...I've never been so far from home. I promised Halley I'd never be too far away."

"As a neuroscientist, let me assure you how much your nine-month-old won't remember that; her hippocampus is much too underdeveloped."

"No, it bothers me," Bernadette confided. "A promise is a promise."

"Yes, but it won't matter if you break it. You're running out opportunities like this one."

Bernadette chewed her bottom lip and then nodded. "You're right. She has Howard, she has her grandparents-"

"And a really bad memory you can use to your advantage."

Bernadette nodded, still appearing to mull it over.

-0-0-0-0-

Sheldon's infamous knock summoned Amy, and when she opened the door Sheldon's eyes instantly found the suitcase sitting on the living room floor. "Where are you going now?"

"Hawaii."

Sheldon laughed insincerely. "Good one."

Amy just gazed at him.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously," Amy told him. "Penny and Bernadette and I are leaving tomorrow."

"How could you just leave me like that?"

"Really?" Amy snapped. "You're lecturing me on taking off?"

"When I wanted to go to Mars, and the year 3000, we were still together; you can't just throw our relationship into question and leave me. That's a cliffhanger."

"Nothing is in question; we're very much off the cliff."

"Well, we didn't have to be. I tried saving it - I've done my part."

Amy turned away from him. "Go home, Sheldon."

He moved further into her apartment. "What happened? Yesterday at the lab, you were supportive of me."

"I wasn't supportive, I lied."

"I knew it! I knew you had used reverse psychology on me!"

"I had to see which of us was more important to you." Amy still ignored him, putting travel-sized toiletries into her suitcase. "I just wish I'd listened to all the warnings people gave me before we-"

"Wait, wait, wait, which people?" Sheldon demanded.

"Who do you think!"

Sheldon stood in his place for a moment longer, then whirled and let himself into the hall, slamming the door shut behind him and moving quickly down the hall. Amy shook her head and continued to pack, finding that she felt a little less empty inside.

-0-0-0-0-

Sheldon opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat. "I'm ready to go home."

"A little gratitude might be nice," Leonard muttered, as he started the car.

"Gratitude!" Sheldon exclaimed. "I'm angry with you!"

"Me, what did I do? I drove you here."

"Amy implied you, and Penny, and everyone else in my life 'warned her' about me."

Leonard was quiet as he pulled the car away from the curb, and Sheldon looked at him expectantly. "Well?" he finally demanded.

"Okay. Well," Leonard sighed. "It has been...implied that sometimes you come off as a...as an ass."

"Well, I suppose that's better than calling me a jerk, because hearing that over and ov-" Sheldon stopped short.

Leonard looked over at him. "And over again?"

Sheldon leaned sideways and dug out his iPhone, brushing his finger over the fracture. "No, no, no."

"What?"

"I sat on my phone!"

"Does it still work?"

"Look at it! I sat on it!"

"Alright, alright, we'll get you a new one."

"I can't afford it! I can't dip into my savings again!"

"Then I'll buy it," Leonard said loudly, effectively shutting him up.

"I couldn't ask it of you."

"You didn't! I volunteered. Anyway, it is almost your birthday; we'll just say it's a present."

"Alright, well, thank you."

Leonard smiled. "You're welcome."

Sheldon nodded and the pair were silent for a few seconds. Finally Sheldon said, "There, some gratitude. Happy?" 


	8. Chapter 8

Bernadette walked bouncily down the stairs. "Hey," she chirped, making Howard jump a little. "What'cha doin'?"

Howard paused the movie. "Sheldon said every X-Men movie in the series is one big fat mistake, and he's right! This series is ruined."

Bernadette sat next to him as he kept flipping through the movie. "Oh, God, there's another mistake," Howard groaned.

"What?"

"Rogue! She's introduced in the 'not too distant future' as a teenager, when Magneto and Xavier are just boys; but when they're old a few minutes later, she's the exact same age!"

"Well...Considering that the world has been turning for billions of years, sixty of them really don't take up that much time. And maybe they're younger than they look."

Howard didn't seem appeased. "The least they could do is explain everything. Although if the movies were good, they wouldn't have to."

"So write a blog," Bernadette suggested. "Contact the writers."

Howard lifted a clipboard from the table. "Got my blog started right here."

-0-0-0-0-

Walking through the park with both dogs on one leash, Raj sat on a bench beside a man reading a newspaper, and began scouting the area for pretty girls.

The man looked at him and looked quickly back at his newspaper. "Ah, great. An Indian."

" 'Scuse me?"

"Nothing personal...I don't like any of you."

Raj tried to swallow his anger. "Well, that's your problem."

"The only problem I have is sitting beside me walkin' chic dogs."

"Well, if you hate sitting here with me...leave."

"I was here first. Just like my ancestors." The man looked down at Cinnamon, who was growling at him. "Ah, shut up!" He stomped his foot near her and she lunged, biting his leg. He hit her in the face with a newspaper and Raj quickly stood.

"Stop that!"

"You don't get her away from me, I'll stop her from biting anyone ever again."

"Fine! Fine. Just leave them be." Raj pulled on the leash, and the dogs obediently came to his other side. "Can I read the paper next?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The guy threw it onto the bench between them.

"Thanks." Raj picked it up, and began to read, and for a few seconds the pair were silent. Then Raj rolled up the paper and hit the guy in the face.

He blinked at Raj.

"Doesn't feel good, does it?" Raj asked.

In one fast motion, the guy was hanging onto Raj's collar, his fist aimed for his face.

"Tom, stop that!"

The guy let go, turning to face none other than Emily Sweeney.

"What the hell is your problem?" Emily asked Tom.

"His dog bit me. See for yourself." He lifted his pant leg.

Emily looked at Raj, then returned her attention to Tom. "Come on, let's take you to the hospital just to be safe."

As the pair walked away, Tom lowered his hand to the small of her back, and brokenhearted Raj could do nothing but watch her go.

-0-0-0-0-

"Thank you," Sheldon said to the cashier. Carrying his shopping bag he let himself out of the store. Leonard waited for him out front.

"What'cha get?" Leonard asked.

"The newest model. iPhone 8."

"Nice! I've heard some pretty good stuff about that model."

"I can't wait to configure it! Hey, I'll need you to call me after I set a ringtone."

"Sure. What'll you do with your old phone?"

"Oh, it's already gone. There's a little sign that says to recycle it in-store; I just put it in there." Sheldon held his bag protectively as he got into the car. "All those things you heard had better be true, or I will become very unpleasant."

Leonard nodded. "I must have returned from the future," he said to himself, before getting into the driver's seat.

Sheldon buckled and took out his new phone, staring at it in open adoration. "Look how shiny it is. You could use it like a beacon."

Leonard buckled. "You seem attached already," he said, as he started the car.

"I am, I am. Oh, a plastic cover! I can't even leave fingerprints. I feel like a god. Or a thief." He turned it on. "I'm going to configure it right now!"

"Do you remember my number?"

"Of course," Sheldon said, nearly interrupting him. "I have an eidetic memory. In case you forgot." He looked slyly at Leonard, but he was staring in the rearview mirror and didn't notice.

Leonard backed out of the parking stall and shifted into drive, and Sheldon tapped happily away on his new iPhone 8.

Leonard was about halfway home when Sheldon's adoration died and a look of confusion came across his face. "Hm," he said eloquently.

"What?"

"It says my Outlook password is incorrect."

"Do you remem-"

"Yes! Of course I remember. Eidetic - remember?"

Leonard shrugged. "Maybe you were hacked."

"Maybe." Looking disgruntled, Sheldon tucked the phone back into the bag. "I'll try it on the computer. And if that doesn't work, I used your email as a backup."

"Without asking?"

"For what it's worth, I don't know your password; you were already signed in."

"That's a relief," Leonard muttered.

"I couldn't help but notice your frequent communion with Mandy Chow."

Leonard nodded, clearly agitated at the mention of her. "Don't tell Penny, but she and I are sort of doing a project together."

Sheldon wrinkled his nose. "What kind of experiment could a marine biologist and an experimental physicist do together?"

"Actually, it's kind of...not work-related."

"Oh."

"It's no big thing; she's writing an autobiography and wants an outsider's opinion. She could've asked anybody."

"I see."

Leonard looked at him, hating how much he sounded like his mother. "Well - it's not just me and her; there are other girls!"

Sheldon nodded. "Yes, I can see how that would come as a consolation." 


	9. Chapter 9

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry! I overlooked this chapter.

-0-0-0-0-

Amy walked up the stairs of Los Robles and was turning to knock on the door of 4A when she heard Sheldon's wordless yell of frustration. She walked quickly across the hall and knocked on the door of 4B before pushing it open. He sat on the couch, looking at her, iPhone 8 in hand.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Is everything okay?"

He shook his head, depositing the phone on the coffee table. "It's this stupid iPhone 8 I bought today. It won't let me check my Outlook, and on top of it, new problems keep arising."

"Keep trying; I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"No. It's hopeless. I've been sitting here for hours." He glared at the iPhone like it would apologize and try to fix itself. "I'll get Howard to help me with it."

Amy scoffed.

Sheldon looked at her in annoyance. "What are you laughing at?"

"I just find it funny that you want to live in the year 3000, surrounded by technology that has advanced without you; meanwhile you need the help of a simple engineer to fix your phone." She turned and left the apartment, pulled the door shut and was crossing the hallway again when she heard the door open behind her.

"Wait. Wait."

She stopped.

"You make a valid point."

She turned to look at him. "I know I do. Howard knew it. My mom, your mom, and the whole comic book store knew it."

Sheldon gazed at her.

"And I contacted your Meemaw," Amy said, her voice a weapon. Sheldon immediately looked away. "How could you use her to manipulate me?"

"Well - how could you use Dave to manipulate me?" Sheldon retorted.

Amy withdrew a little. "Alright, we'll call that one even." She looked quizzically at him. "But...who told you?"

Sheldon smiled, endearingly tilting his head. "You did, just now."

"Right. Right." She tried not to show her humiliation.

"I guess I would feel like a complete moron all the time in the year 3000," Sheldon said. "And it would be irreversible."

Amy lowered her fist from the door and looked at him. "Are you s-staying?"

"I might as well," Sheldon said, obviously disappointed. "But I'm not sure I can impress President Siebert enough to change his mind."

Amy readjusted her purse. "Well...Think of Leonard. Think of how hard he worked to impress Penny."

Sheldon considered. "I am a fast learner. I suppose I can try to parrot his shameless servility."

Amy nodded. "Read my mind," she said insincerely. She knocked on the door of 4A, then turned and offered an awkward smile to the watching Sheldon.

Penny opened the door. "Crap," was how she greeted Amy. "You're ready?"

"Yeah, Bernadette's waiting in the car..."

"Crap, crap, crap. Hang on." Penny turned and walked quickly into 4A.

With the feeling he was suffocating, Sheldon realized he had totally and completely forgotten about Amy's Hawaiian vacation. He wanted to ask if he could accompany her, but when he realized he couldn't efficiently suck up to President Siebert long-distance he nodded at her with a tight smile. "You have fun."

She nodded back, wondering if things would ever feel normal and right with him again.

He turned and walked into 4B, closed the door between them and was gone. 


	10. Chapter 10

Amelia stared out of the car window. Cooper had shown her many things, and she had grown to love the future - and her future with him. But this...she could not accept this.

"It-it can't be it," she stammered.

"I assure you, this was where you lived."

She stared at the tall, bustling building before them. "I don't understand. What are all these people doing here?"

"This is a store. A mercantile. People come here to buy things."

"But, my home...It's just - gone. My grandfather made that house!"

"I'm sorry, Amelia. You wanted to see your old house - I'm showing you. I had nothing to do with its fall."

She turned away from him. "I-I...I would have appreciated a little warning. Can you understand why I feel overwhelmed right now?"

He looked at her.

"I miss my home." She stared at the building. "I miss the simplicity of things."

"What's difficult?"

"This! All of it. This mercantile, this strange clothing - most of all, the fact that you're the only one who can see me."

"I warned you about that, didn't I? You're misplaced."

She fought with the demonic strap that pinned her to the seat.

"You're getting better with that," Cooper observed, when she had unbuckled.

"Cooper...You can leap from one timeline to another in a single bound. Can't you make me less of a...a ghost?"

"No. I'm a time-traveller, and that's all."

She tried not to panic. "Okay - t-take me home."

"What?"

"Take me back to 1819; I can't do this. I...I can't live in the future with you!"

Cooper looked at her in confusion. "But I don't want to lose you."

"You should never have found me; I'm supposed to be alive almost two centuries ago!"

He averted his gaze and nodded sadly. "Alright. Let's get you back home."

The moment came much too fast for Cooper. Before he was ready they were standing outside of the machine, and he was entering his password that would unlock the door. "Would you like me to live with you in the past?"

"No. Then it wouldn't be fair to you."

He lowered his hand and looked at her. "Then I guess this is goodbye."

She hugged him tightly, trying not to cry when his arms went around her. "I won't forget you, Cooper."

"Nor I you."

She pulled away, looking into his beautiful eyes. "Can you do something for me?"

"Of course."

"Stop time-travelling. Never do it again; just...stop messing with fate."

He gazed at her, realizing he could look at her forever. "I'll try."

She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek before stepping into the machine. Cooper pushed the door shut and looked at her a moment longer before pushing some buttons on the keypad. An ominous smoke filled the capsule, blocking him from view, and when the air cleared she found herself standing in her front yard, looking right at her home. There was no trace of Cooper - not even a trace of smoke.

She held herself tightly and tried not to cry.

This was how it was meant to be, she told herself. He was in the future, and she was back in her own, regular life. It broke her heart...but she knew it was the right thing.

-0-0-0-0-

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'd forgotten about the ninth chapter and had to put it in, after saying the story was finished. NOW, this book is done. 


End file.
